On Health Care Reform...

While I firmly believe that every individual should have access to some sort of health care, I certainly do not (nor will I ever) vest my faith in the governmental prescription of such.


On a fundamental level, there is an inherent contradiction in passing a federal health care bill. There exists no provision of the Constitution calling for the required coverage of its citizenry. Therefore, the passage of the Health Care Reform Bill violates the very document those "yes-voters" vowed to uphold.

Many of those in favor of this bill lay their political priorities on a moral basis. Morality certainly has a place in society, but unfortunately, federal legislature is not one. And furthermore, isn't the forced imposition of morality, by nature, immoral? Maybe it is our duty as human beings to provide care for those unable to provide care for themselves; however, coercing charity is certainly comparable to ignoring the needy all together.

On another level, many believe passing health care reform represents that government now cares. Let me be clear: government officials do not care about anything beyond being re-elected. To support health care is one thing. Of course everyone should be guaranteed access to health care. Health insurance is an entirely different discussion.

Insurance, by definition, measures risk. It is a bet that both party and insurer contractually enter, each understanding that a loss for one equals a gain for another. An insurance company bets that, for example, you will remain healthy, while you bet that you will fall ill. If you fall ill, you win and the insurance company loses. Your bet has paid off, and by preempting your illness, you have successfully measured the risk against becoming sick.

Lets look at this from another angle: life insurance. When purchasing life insurance, you bet that you will die before your premiums have paid for the face amount. The insurance company, on the other hand, looks at your medical records and enters the contract based on the bet that you will live longer (and therefore pay more) than your policy's face value. The principles of all insurance contracts are the same; in any arena, purchasing insurance is a choice, both on part of the insurer and the insured.

Say, then, that the House was voting on the passage of life insurance reforms. Would they have reached the same conclusion - that life insurance is a right, and not a privilege? Doubtful, especially considering that life insurance cannot be confused with something as precious as health care.

The health insurance industry is now being held sway to the federal government. Those in Washington can now interfere in the private sector, dictating that health insurance companies must provide care to all - regardless of preexisting conditions and changes in occupation.

If government cared about its citizens, it would instead focus on actual health care reform.

And finally, even if you disagree with what I above argued, you cannot contest the fact that government simply cannot pay for this bill. With already soaring (and constantly increasing) deficit spending, another trillion dollar bill is simply irresponsible. To anyone in favor of such reforms, remember that it is our pockets that will be suffering in the end.

If there is any bright side to the passage of the reform bill, then I only look to the words of my father when he so poignantly stated that spending a trillion dollars on (attempting) to help people is better than spending a trillion dollars on killing people in Iraq and Afghanistan. Fair enough, but if you ask me, eliminating both sources of such spending is the best solution to maintaining freedom in America.